"THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, because he hath committed adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall die the death."
There was no need for a trial. Despite Christopher's remarks, Natsuko Hayashida was found guilty of adultery and sentenced to hang with Isaac there alongside her, based on the testimony of many witnesses.
She didn't say much in defense; instead, she just scowled at the nearby townspeople with a mixture of scorn and rage. Her sole coping mechanism was that she loved Isaac and that her feelings for him blurred her judgment.
The day of the execution was bright and crisp. Lizzie was crying quietly, her tears dripping down her cheeks as she stood with Abigail and Hannah, none of whom would meet each other's eyes. They had just lost Sarah— and now they were gonna loose two more of their friends.
Natsuko watched as everyone called her names. It was like she told Isaac— they would show no mercy.
As Natsuko looked at her best friend's handsome face, she felt as if he'd never not known that blonde hair, those beautiful eyes, those lips, that jaw. And it was because of their long history that she searched for something to say, something that would get them back to where they had been.
This was all her fault. This was all her fault. If she had not invited him over to her house, they would not be here.
Natsuko looked at her friends. Lizzie. Abbi. Hannah. If she had not been so selfish, they wouldn't have to experience this pain. If she had never asked Isaac to come in their house that night, they could be at her kitchen. Gossiping over tea. Grieving over Sarah. Not watching two more of their friends hang.
Ropes were pulled over thick branches, and spiteful laughs filled the forest as the sun shone in the sky.
"The punishment for adultery is death by hanging!" Solomon Goode screamed, voice full of vengeance. It was like something flipped in him that day Sarah died; he became ruthless. Merciless. In a matter of days, he had turned into a monster who rose to power in the Union.
Natsuko looked at the forest behind her. From the rich brown earthen hues of the forest ground to the sweetness of the blue-white sky, the forest is was three dimensional wonderland for her eyes who are willing to absorb the light. The forest where she and Isaac would meet: the forest where she and Isaac spent the best moments of their lives.
Once the first tear got away, the rest followed it, creating a huge mess on her face. Her lungs rummaged for oxygen, and her sobbing had the same force of someone drowning. The flesh under her ribcage throbbed, her cheeks burned, and her mind created memories and scenarios that made the tears continue.
Isaac and her, raising a child in a place away from the Union.
The two of them kissing in broad daylight with nothing and no one to fear. It was just them— it was only them, like it should've been from the very start.
"Confess!" Solomon Goode screamed. "Confess your sins or burn in hell for all eternity."
Natsuko looked at Isaac.
"I love you," she whispered for only him to hear, and that was the moment she knew what she was going to do. When you loved someone, you put their needs before your own. No matter how inconceivable those needs were; no matter how messed up; no matter how much it made you feel like you were ripping yourself into pieces.
After all, this is was all her fault. Might as well own up to it.
Isaac deserved a life of his own. A life where he could be married to a person who would give him everything she couldn't. A person who would love him more than she ever did. A person who was there.
A few days ago, she did not understand why Sarah Fier chose to lie instead of telling them the truth, but now, she knew.
Sarah Fier taught bee all about real sacrifice. That it should be done from love... That it should be done from necessity, not without exhausting all other options. That it should be done for people who need your strength because they don't have enough of their own.
It was because of love.
Only once in her life, she had found someone who completely turned her world around. Natsuko told him things that she'd never shared with another soul and he absorbed everything she said and actually wanted to hear more. Natsuko shared hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at her.
Never did Isaac hurt her feelings or make her feel like she was not good enough, but rather he built her up and showed her the things about herself that made her even more special and even beautiful.
There was never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when he was around. For the first time, Natsuko could be herself and not worry about what he would think of her because he loves her for who she was.
Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn't exist at all. A secret kiss or two during the day helps to get herself through a long day's work and always brings a smile to her face. In his presence, there's no need for continuous conversation, but she finds him quite content in just having him nearby.
Natsuko opened her heart to him knowing that there's a chance it may be broken one day and in opening her heart, she experienced a love and joy that she never dreamed possible.
For the first time, she found that being vulnerable is the only way to allow her heart to feel true pleasure that's so real it scares her. Through Isaac, she finds strength in knowing she has a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end.
With Isaac, life seemed completely different, exciting and worthwhile.
And for the first time, someone had loved her for herself.
True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice.
"Good people of the Union..." her voice was breaking, teardrops and sweat prickling down her faces as she looked at them. "I am come hither to die, according to law, for by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it and choose to confess my sins."
"No!" Isaac was attempting to break out of his chains as he went hysterical. "Stop it! She's lying! Don't listen to her!"
"Silence him!" Solomon Goode yelled, pointing at the struggling boy. Isaac was sobbing so hard that his throat was starting to hurt, but he did not care.
"Stop it!" Isaac sobbed, thrashing against Elijah as the man grabbed his shoulders. "Natsuko, stop it!"
"I seduced this man— I danced down the perfumed path to Death; headed straight for Hell and attempting to take this good man with me." Natsuko turned around gently, watching the sobbing boy shook his head uncontrollably.
"I forced him to lay with me..."
Isaac starts kissing her, his lips trailing over her neck. And he doesn't stop even when he feels her hands wrap around him, fingers entwined in his hair, or when he hears her groan loudly.
"I love you," Natsuko whispers, but she pulls him in closer, giving him the opportunity to kiss her again. He kisses her at the back of her neck, then returns to kiss her in the front, gradually working his way up to her collarbone.
"I did not honor my marriage." Natsuko cried, looking for the familiar set of brown eyes in the crowd. Christopher, who was such a good friend to her despite the situation they were thrown into, bit his lips to stop himself from crying as he looked at the girl. "I did not keep the marriage bed pure while my husband is gone."
"How was the trip with Oliver?" Natsuko grinned cheekily, poking the man just to rile him up a bit. "Has he got anything for me?"
"He gave you this," Christopher mumbled, taking out a bunch of white fabric out of his satchel. "A dress."
"I did not control my own body in a way that is holy and honorable..." Natsuko held her head up high, refusing to look at Isaac. Who knew what she could've done if she caught sight of the boy crying once again. "But in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God."
Natsuko's breath is taken away by his body. His hands glide down her back, down her legs, and along her jaw and neck. She yanks his coat from his shoulders. Isaac pulls his lips away from hers and burys his face in her neck. His hair is thick and silky than any silk she's ever worn, and it fanns out across her arm. Isaac finally locates her corset ties. She's already loosened his, and underneath the fabric his skin is hot to the touch. The heat radiating from him warms her. She savors the weight of him.
"It was me."
Neither one of them dares to speak. They're scared that words will bring them to a halt, ripping the spell that binds them apart. He's trembling just like she is.
"It was only me."
He nuzzles her neck; his touch sends shivers dancing along her spine. Isaac sighs in relief against her ear in a way that makes her heart pound.
"I forced him to lay with me..." her heartbreak is grief that comes in waves, gruelling, stealing appetite and sleep alike. It is a shard in her guts that never leaves. It feels like death just the same as bereavement and in quiet moments it chokes the breath from her body and short circuits her mind. What was once whole is shattered; where once was peace is emptiness, echoes of a love she placed her everything into.
She falls into another kiss, running her hands through his hair, letting him know that she's okay. He gradually relaxes. Natsuko sucks in her breath as he moves against her; his eyes are so bright that she feel like she could drown in them.
Natsuko looks at Isaac, who was crying, sobbing, screaming against Elijah's grasp. Her voice was strained, as if it pained her to say the next sentence. "I forced him to lay with me. It was me."
He kisses her cheeks, tucking a strand of her hair carefully behind her ear as he goes, and she slides her arms around his back and pull him closer.
"It was me. It was just me."
Isaac finally manages to get out of the grasp that Elijah contained him in. "She's lying!"
"The evil deeds of the wicked ensnares me; the cords of my sins hold me fast." One small tear finally escapes from her eye alast. That one tear, that tiny, salty, droplet of moisture is a means of escape. Although it's just a small tear, it is the heaviest thing in the world. "For lack of discipline they I die, led astray by my own great folly. Thus I take leave of the world, and of you, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me."
"Let him go!" Solomon yelled, his eyes blank with nothing. No emotions. No empathy. "For he is the one who be tempted, he shall be the one to hang her!"
"No!" Isaac screamed, thrashing against Elijah as his chains were undone. "People of the Union, listen to me! She lies! She lies!"
Natsuko felt a twang of guilt course through her. She was trying to save Isaac— she never intended for this to happen.
"Do it, boy!" Solomon screamed as Elijah pat his back. "Hang her!"
"I would rather die!" Isaac screamed punching the man the moment he went in contact with him and his fragile heart. "I would rather die that hang her!"
"Isaac," Natsuko whispered, her voice hoarse. "Isaac, please. It's okay. Please, Isaac."
"No. I'm not. I wont—"
"Please, Isaac. It's okay. I promise you." It wasn't a lie. Knowing that he would get out of this alive was already enough for her to accept her own fate. It was him. It was always him.
Gently grabbing his arm, she looked at his eyes. His beautiful, beautiful eyes that she was so in love with, and whispered in his ear for only him to hear. "Until our stars collide again, maybe then they'll stay together and shine brightly as one."
Isaac cried, wanting nothing to do except cradle her in his arms and give her one last kiss. Instead, he says the words in his heart, not caring that people looked at him with anticipation and anger. "My soul will always be with you."
Natsuko smiled. "As is mine. I shall see you in another universe, darling. Where we can have the perfect love we ever so wished for."
As she looked at his tear stricken face, Natsuko could only realize one thing. Love was considered the most powerful, the most beautiful thing in the world. Now it's just another reason to die.
"Goodbye, my love."
"Goodbye, Isaac."
Natsuko shuts her eyes, murmuring the same words over and over to herself. To Jesus Christ I commend my soul; Lord Jesus receive my soul.
Strong arms lifted the ropes. There was no air left in all the forest. Silence, as the struggle went on.
Then, it was over.
All she knows is that in this moment, is that his soul and hers were made for each other in this life and every life after.
authors note
isaac and natsuko
also its 11am and i have 0 sleep this was the absolute HARDEST thing to write i am not kidding